The parade of country artists coming out to criticize the direction of country music continues, with Gary Allan now coming out in an interview with Larry King, decrying country music’s move towards pop, and specifically Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood.

“You know, I would say no. I would say they’re pop artists making a living in the country genre. I also feel like we lost our genre. I don’t feel like I make music for a genre anymore, and I did, you know, 15 years ago. But I think since the Clear Channel’s and the Cumulus’s and the big companies bought up all the chains, now it’s about a demographic. You know, so they’ve kind of sliced everything up, feeding it to the public in demographics.”

“It’s an amalgam then?” King asks.

“Exactly. Like if you want to get to the young kids, you put it on the alternative station. We’ve sort of ended up in this…we’re nicknamed the soccer mom, like 35 to 45 year-old woman I think is what our demographic is. So it’s very different. You used to be able to turn on the radio and you knew instantly it was the country station just by listening to it, and now you’ve got to leave it there for a second to figure it out.”

Larry King then asks, “Do you like it or don’t like it?”

“You know I personally don’t like it because I loved the character of country music and I loved what it is and the lifestyle of it…. To me, country music is still Monday through Friday, and pop’s about what happens on the weekends.”

Gary Allan joins a chorus that includes Alan Jackson, Kacey Musgraves multiple times, and other prominent country stars from the past and present coming out against the direction of country. Though the pop vs. country fight has been happening since the very beginning of the country genre, pop and rap’s recent dominance of the country format brought on by the monopolization of radio that Gary Allan references above, and Billboard’s recent decision to change its chart structure to boost “crossover” songs has tipped the scales to where influences outside of country music dominate the sound of the genre like never before.

Gary Allan is a platinum-selling country artist singed to MCA Nashville, who’s released 9 studio albums and 26 charting singles. His most recent album Set You Free was released in January.

See the relevant clip from the Larry King interview with Gary Allan below.

UPDATE ( 9/17/13 9:00 PM CDT):

Gary Allan has “clarified” his statements to Larry King in a post to his fans on Facebook. Here it is in its entirety:

As many of you know, last week I sat down for an interview with Larry King. Larry asked me several pointed questions about the state of country music. In particular, he asked me how I would classify several of my peers. A short clip from the interview was posted online last Friday.

Several writers have since taken my what I said out of context and added a spin that takes my words in a direction they were never meant to go in.

For the record, I always have and always will love country music. While our genre has evolved, I stand behind what I said in the interview, “To me country is still about Monday through Friday, and pop is about what happens on the weekends. But it’s definitely changed.”

It’s true. Country music has changed. During the interview I made it a point to say that my own music has changed over the years. I used to make very different music 10 15 years ago. As I also mentioned during the interview, I’m a country artist whose music leans towards rock, although I tend to love the more traditional sounding country of Haggard, Jones and Buck Owens.

When talking about country radio, I went on to say “It’s very different. You used to be able to turn on the radio and you knew it instantly it was a country station just by listening to it. Now you’ve got to leave it there for a second to figure it out”¦and not that it’s a bad thing.” It’s not a bad thing. It’s just different than it used to be.

Larry nailed it in three words during the interview. When trying to put context to my words he said, “it’s an amalgam,” meaning a mixture or a blend. “Right,” I said, “exactly.” Country music is a blend these days. Our genre has enough room in it for me, a country artist whose country leans towards rock and for more pop sounding country artists, as well as more traditional sounding country artists. None of us are the same, but we all make country radio our home.

Today, my interview with Larry King will run in its entirety. I know you are busy and that time is hard to come by. I hope you will take a few minutes to watch it for yourself. That way you can hear actually what I said, rather than read someone else’s commentary or take on what I said.

Sincerely,

Gary Allan

Editor’s Note: Though Gary Allan doesn’t mention Saving Country Music specifically and there is no specific reason to think he is referring to us when he says his words were taken out of context, please understand that all Saving Country Music did was take the questions and answers Larry King posted in the above video and transcribe them verbatim and in total. We also couched them as being critical with the current state of country music, which they were. Then we also posted the video where the comments came from to give further context. If anything was taken out of context initially, it was the video from Larry King that included only a portion of the entire Gary Allan interview. Other websites may have taken more specific comments out of context and couched them a certain way, but Saving Country Music simply posted what was said.

UPDATE ( 9/21/13 1:15 PM CDT):

Gary Allan continues to clarify the statements he made to Larry King, now scribing a handwritten letter to country radio.

100 Comments

Andrew L.
September 13, 2013 @
9:24 am

I’m a little surprised to see Gary taking a stand like this, but glad to hear it. He’s become my favorite major label artist out there, and his latest single “It Ain’t The Whiskey” is an absolutely killer song.

Yes! Is that a great song or what? Gary is SO good. Personally, I think his song “Today” should have been a big award winner but I guess if you don’t do the political stuff and the campaigning you don’t get nominate. We need a lot more like Gary and a lot less like Florida Georgia Line.

He’s had a couple releases that weren’t stone-cold country, but overall his body of work has been more solid than that of most of his contemporaries. I know I’d have a hard time finding an artist who’s every release was 100% traditional country. Hell, Waylon won a Grammy for his version of MacArthur Park (Someone left the cake out in the rain!); it doesn’t get any less country than that, but I don’t like him any less for it.

I personally thought “Best I Ever Had” was one of Allan’s best releases. It seemed like a fitting song given his wife’s suicide.

So if a country artist ran a song up to #24 on Billboard’s Hot 100 song would you say that the song and artist should not be considered country?

Before you answer, I should mention that the song I’m talking about is “Lovesick Blues,” and the artist is Hank Williams.

Most people would agree that mainstream country radio hasn’t seen many singers more “country” than Alan Jackson over the last 20 years, but in that timeframe Mr. Jackson has accumulated a decent number of hit songs on the pop charts.

The appearance of a “country” song on the pop charts is an indicator that the appeal of the song transcends the genre, not that the song is somehow less “country.”

A song being originally played by a band of a different genre doesn’t automatically qualify it as crap. Yeah, he covered a Vertical Horizon song but it was a well written song I think. Nobody is giving Cash crap for covering a Nine Inch Nails song and they’re way farther from country than Vertical Horizon. Johnny also covered the Beatles song, “In My Life”, doesn’t make him a sellout or a shame to his genre. Travis Tritt covered The Eagles, Conway Twitty covered Bette Midler and The Pointer Sisters, Roseanne Cash covered The Beatles, Dolly Parton coverd Zeppelin. I’m not about to put Vertical Horizon up with the likes of those artists but it’s not like a country cover of a pop song is something new.

I don’t think Tough little Boys is that great. However, it was still a pretty country song musically. The lyrics are fine, if not particularly inspiring. The problem is that 10 years later it gets lumped in with all those god awful crying soldier songs like Letters from Home.

If you listen to the lyrics, there is no mention of soldiers, and I don’t think he even alluded to it. However, the music video is about Soldiers in Iraq crying about their kids. I blame the record label, though I guess he went along with it.

Regardless, I don’t see it as so bad to take away his right to criticize pop-country.

I’m not saying that Gary Allan is a bad dude. In fact, I’ve found some of his performances on YouTube today that are pretty solid. I’m just kind of pointing out the irony of someone that contributed to steering pop country to where it sits today criticizing it. Gary Allan has some good songs, I admitted that. He also has some run-of-the-mill pop country crap that came out in the early-mid 2000s. If my glass house is a bit stronger than other people in my neighborhood, I’m still careful when casting stones.

I’m also – I hope obviously – not saying that anyone that ever covered a non-country song has no credibility in the genre. To speak to the example of Johnny Cash, he reinterpreted many songs in a very powerful way. He made us realize Trent Reznor was actually a songwriter. (Unrelated side note: Only credited sample on the new NIN album is Weary Blues from Waiting). Good song or not, Gary Allan basically recorded a note for note remake of the original that has very few country elements and reached #55 on the Pop 100 charts.

I definitely see where you were coming from now, Adam. In response to your unrelated side note I love the new NIN album. They layering blows my mind. As far as layering a song I think Reznor is a genius. So happy he decided make another album under NIN.

Keep in mind that there’s some space between “traditional country” and “pop.”

You can’t put Gary Allan in the pop category just because he doesn’t sound like Merle Haggard without also putting Merle Haggard in the pop category because he doesn’t sound like The Carter Family.

For better or worse, country music has been evolving from the start; each generation has had it’s share of traditionalists, contemporary artists, and crossover artists. Contemporary artists from Allan’s generation would include Kenny Chesney, who has since gone pop, and Blake Shelton, who has recently joined Jason and Luke in the douchebilly sub-genre (which unfortunately appears to be the next generation of contemporary country). Gary Allan has pretty much stayed the course as a solid modern country singer. His sound won’t have much appeal to a hard core traditional country fan, but that doesn’t push him all the way over to the pop category.

Are you aware that when he started out playing small clubs in California he passed up opportunities to move to larger, better-paying venues because it would have meant giving up playing songs by older artists like George Jones? A move like that hardly has the stamp of someone who aspires to be a pop singer.

Just because music is country doesn’t mean it’s good, and just because music isn’t country doesn’t mean it’s bad. And it doesn’t have to be all black and white. Is Gary Allan hard country? Of course not, but that doesn’t mean that he’s not right about how Clear Channel has monopolized the format, and that Taylor Swift isn’t country. Gary cut some radio hits in hopes to try to get his better material in front of more people. Nail him to the cross all you want, but if country radio sounded more like Gary Allan and less like Florida Georgia Line, it would be better off.

Trigger – the problem with your argument is that as long as country music keeps getting worse, you can keep making it. Hell, Rascal Flatts would be an improvement over Florida Georgia Line at this point.

I’ll say the same thing about your other argument that Gary Allan made the pop hits to showcase his other material. You can say that about anyone – including Taylor Swift – and maybe especially Taylor Swift given the difference between the radio friendly songs and the rest of her album.

If Gary Allan had criticized Taylor Swift for not being a good singer, I’m OK with that because he’s a good singer. If he wants to say that she doesn’t make country music, then that smells fishy to me from a guy that’s had at least 2 crossover pop hits. Does that make him wrong? No, but it does make him damn close to a hypocrite.

If I had my druthers, no, it would not be Gary Allan, Zac Brown, and Kacey Musgraves carrying the torch for the recent backlash against country”™s direction. But I”™d rather it be somebody rather than nobody, or somebody that is in a position where more people can hear the message, instead preaching to a choir. Is there some hypocrisy involved? Probably. But I would still take these three artists over the majority of the pop country field.

I like that he put the blame where it really belongs, on the powers that be in the radio industry. We can piss and moan about the kind of music different artists record all we want, but at the end of the day the decision to play it lies with radio.

All I’ll say RE whether Gary Allan has the country cred to criticize or not: a few months ago at Willie Nelson’s 4th of July picnic, when Gary Allan played right after Justin Moore, you couldn’t imagine a bigger contrast. Sure, Gary has some radio friendly songs, but as I said at the time, “Right now Gary Allan is proving that you can still have mainstream appeal, but write sincere, heartfelt songs.”

All of these artists coming out and saying these things isn’t a fluke folks. We may be reaching some critical mass moment where the backlash rises to the mainstream level, and material changes must be made to the genre before they begin to disenfranchise such a large segments of the population, the long-term integrity of the genre begins to suffer.

Along similar lines, the first time I saw Gary live Jamey Johnson was the opener. And while there’s obviously a contrast in how much more Gary leans toward rock, it didn’t feel to me like all that big a difference.

You’re certainly right Gary, I’ve been a fan or yours ever since “Smoke Rings In The Dark” …. so in my opinion you know what you’re talking about … thank God for the internet … which breaks all demographics .. not only in age group, but in location …. Two decades ago, one of the hardest things to be was a country music fan in the NY/NJ/CT market, now I can listen to WSM in Nashville or KISN in Edmonton, Alberta or any country station I want, anytime I want..

the problem is radio only playing one segment of country music and locking everyone else out. I know that’s been stated on here a hundred times but calling people out for not being country is just as unoriginal. I never heard of this guy but after checking him out on youtube I have to wonder what willie nelson or merle haggard might have to say about his country credentials if they bothered to waste their time calling people out.

We have a country station here that use to let the listeners vote on weather or not a new single made it to the playlist or not. Well it was just over a year ago when the Taylor swift single We Are Never Getting Back Together debuted , it was put to a vote by the station, the song was voted 60% no to 40% yes. Many listeners said “Nice song but it doesn’t belong on country radio at all” & “That’s not country at all”. Three day’s after the vote, the station was playing the new Swift single regularly after it was voted down.

Well a couple weeks later the same station put the new Alan Jackson single You Go Your Way up for vote, the result was 100% yes to 0% no. Listeners said things like “It’s AJ it’s country so play it” & “Great song, automatic play it”. But even though the listeners liked it, the song was never played. Something isn’t right.

Bingo, Trig. I honestly like some of this pop country for what it is.. pop music. But I like the “real” stuff too, and want to hear it. As a working musician, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think any viable career I could have would be in the pop side of things. And that’s okay by me.. there is just, as you said, a lack of balance.

While Gary Allan musically has seldom had any semblance to country music, and thus it would be so easy to shout that he’s a hypocrite and part of the very problem he’s referencing…………..I’ve nonetheless admired Allan’s candor on the matter in countless previous interviews.

He has consistently admitted in his own words that he is more rock-sounding and that his influences are decidedly more punk-rock driven than from country legends, but has added he believes he plays an important role in the radio genre because lyrically his material is more in the heart of country.

Lyrically, he has seldom pandered to the lowest common denominator and while his output musically has very little to do with country music (come on, “Every Storm Runs Out Of Rain” was pop-friendly adult alternative) it’s at least raw enough to stand apart from all the bombast pervading the landscape.

Gary Allan is not among my very favorite artists personally, but among the current crop of “country” radio fixtures, I’d take him over most any other male artist surrendering to the “frat boy country” zeitgeist. And while I didn’t care for either “Every Storm (Runs Out Of Rain)” or “Pieces”, his current single “It Ain’t The Whiskey” is excellent.

If we are looking at the relatively good mainstream singers, I’d put him along with Miranda Lambert, Dierks Bentley type singers. In fact, while I don’t think any of his songs were as traditional as the most traditional sounding Jamey Johnson or Dierks Bentley Songs, he never did anything quite as ridiculous as them (e.g. Honkytonk badonkadonk, sideways etc.)

I also seem to respect that he is from California, but never tries to have a fake accent, cowboy hat, or anything like that, but still played pretty authentic country.

Also, I think people come down on Gary Allan cause they have only heard his radio stuff. Although, I have to admit I haven’t gotten a chance to listen to his newer stuff, but the album Smoke Rings In The Dark is pretty damn good if you ask me.

Gary has said in past interviews the suits and cowboy hats he used to wear were entirely his label’s idea to try to make him fit in more next to the hat acts. His Tough All Over album was when he ditched them and started doing his own thing. You can also hear a shift in his music around that time to more of what it is today.

I think you need to take a drive through California first. I was born and raised in Tulare, CA. Ever hear Merle sing “Tulare Dust”. There”™s nothing but fields and farmland for 8 hours of driving from LA to SF. There are millions who live a rural country lifestyle here. Plenty of cowboys, farmers, Okies and all around country people here. Not saying if you were from an urban area you couldn”™t love or sing country but you made it sound like there”™s not rural people in California. We are the leading state in agriculture.

I just wanted to point out that california has had a huge impact on country music, during the dustbowl, a lot of midwesterners resettled in california, and again after ww2, which brought a lot of country music, and country fans out to california, Merle Haggard was born in bakersfield, Buck made it big in california, Dwight Yoakam, The Maddox bro’s and Rose, california has always been a big part of country music, despite the last major artist to come out of california being Gary Allan(I wish I could say Nick 13, but he doesn’t exactly get airplay..)

While I like Gary’s music- I really think this was uncalled for. I hate when artists publicly trash other artists. What do they hope to accomplish but create controversy? He is right about Taylor- am she is full blown pop and that is clear to everyone. But Carrie is country/pop hybrid and a Grand Ole member who respects the genre. She may be far from traditional country- but she is contemporary country and deserves better than a snarky comment saying she is using the genre. Carrie refuses to remix her music to pop and is not a chameleon like Taylor- who calls herself pop overseas and when it suits her- but country in USA to capitalize on award shows. I feel like Gary has sour grapes publicly trashing them and lumping Carrie together with a taylor when they are different artists compmetely. Not happy with him at all.

And Carrie’s fans are allowed there’s. And NO ONE in the country genre IF you ever do your research, Carrie is the MOST giving, most loving of this genre, where Taylor is the opposite. She never thanks God or country radio when she wins awards for her 100% pop music that Nashville says is 100% country. Even though her fans don’t listen to her on country radio (which is why her singles suffer on country radio) cause they can listen to her on pop radio along with Justin Bieber & Selena Gomez etc. 90% of anything you hear on country radio these past 20 years or so is NOT REAL old school western music. And Gary is about as country as Taylor is.

If Taylor wins an award and doesn’t thank God, what business is it of mine or yours?
Every rapper awarded alway thank their “Lord and savior” as well, so that puts Underwood in their league.
I don’t judge musicians by who they thank, their beliefs or personal lives only on their artistry.
Right only Carrie is giving and loving etc. Maybe she is “so giving” because her whole career was handed to her from an amateur hour. She is a television creation.
Loretta, Dolly, Tammy, Reba and dozens of other worked at their craft and knocked on many doors. Carrie went on amateur hour.

It was Larry King who asked the question, named Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift, and lumped those two artists together. Gary still said what he said, but I think this is an important thing to understand. Carrie and Taylor were Larry King’s examples, Gary simply agreed.

They always get lumped together cause those 2 gals are the top females/acts in country music based on sales, #1’s, magazine covers etc. It was a dumb question he already knew. Now if he asked Alan Jackson, someone that actually sings country music vs. Gary that does not, there would be a much better and classy reply vs. someone that rarely gets country air play since the beginning of his career.

Does Gary not get a lot of country airplay where you are?
maybe its because im in california, and he’s from LA, but they always played his stuff on the radio out here.. (I have no idea if they still do, I gave up on listening to the radio…

If you had actually watched the video or read the transcript you would know that he didn’t trash either artist at all, he simply said that he doesn’t consider them country and that he misses the days when you could turn on a country radio station and know you were going to hear country music.

I sincerely want to know, why do you equate saying Carrie Underwood isn’t really country with “trashing” her? “Not country” doesn’t equate to “not good” in any way, shape or form. The Beatles weren’t country. Neither was The Who. Or Jimi Hendrix. Am I trashing those artists by saying that?

(Carrie Underwood) may be far from traditional country- but she is contemporary country and deserves better than a snarky comment saying she is using the genre.

With all due respect, no, she doesn’t deserve better than that. Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift are just two different kinds of crap, really. Just because Carrie Underwood doesn”™t court pop music fans as aggressively as Taylor Swift does not make her any more of a country singer or better for the genre. Given Underwood”™s favorite music as evidenced by some of the songs she”™s covered, I wouldn”™t be the least bit surprised if she courted the ”™80s rock/hair metal crowd more aggressively than she does if that particular genre was anywhere near as commercially viable as it was way back in the day. In terms of country music, again, Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood really just boil down to two kinds of bad ”” sugary teen pop versus glam metal; in other words, the absolute worst of the ”™80s and ”™90s.

Not that I”™d like Underwood any better if she was aping, oh, I don”™t know, Ann Wilson or Bruce Dickinson, but still ”” tell me again why either of them should be the accepted evolution of country music?

And re: Gary Allan and the folks nailing him to a cross ”” Trigger’s right. Yeah, Allan’s cut some real schlock, but he’s also cut some really great stuff from the likes of Jim Lauderdale, Buddy Miller, and Todd Snider, among others. On balance, from what I’ve heard, I’d say his good stuff outweighs the bad by a substantial margin.

The Onion is a satire news site. Their ‘news’ is pure fiction, please check your sources.

Speaking as an international Country music fan (I’m from the UK), I think it’s fair to say that the genre needs contemporary artists like Carrie to carry the torch for Country in a time when dance and electronic music is so prominent. If the genre does not continue to grow and evolve to reach a younger audience, chances are it will disappear completely.

Due to some of the negative comments here, I also think it’s worth pointing out all that Carrie has done for Country music in the US as well as overseas. Here in the UK, in countless interviews, she has done nothing but speak of her love for the genre and her hopes of making “Country music everyone can enjoy” (I haven’t read one yet where she hasn’t mentioned it). I feel she boldly sacrificed and limited her own career (particularly internationally) for the genre, due to the connotations ‘Country star’ brings. I have no doubt that if Carrie followed Taylor’s lead and marketed herself without the Country label, like Taylor, she would be incredibly more successful and well-known outside of the US than she is now. Therefore, for Alan to say Carrie in particular is simply ‘making a living in the Country genre’ is, to me, quite disrespectful.

As a fan of Carrie and Country music, it saddens me to see how little credit many members of the Country music community give her for the way she has, and continues to, spread the word of the genre. Personally, if I had never listened to Carrie’s debut album, Some Hearts (which, to me, is undeniably Country), I doubt I would have ever heard of the Grand Ole Opry or CMA, nor would I have been introduced to the music of some of the incredible people Carrie has worked with (Brad Paisley, Randy Travis etc.).

I think you need to take a drive through California first. I was born and raised in Tulare, CA. Ever hear Merle sing “Tulare Dust”. There’s nothing but fields and farmland for 8 hours of driving from LA to SF. There are millions who live a rural country lifestyle here. Plenty of cowboys, farmers, Okies and all around country people here. Not saying if you were from an urban area you couldn’t love or sing country but you made it sound like there’s not rural people in California. We are the leading state in agriculture.

a lot of people don’t seem to get that, when I was a kid, I lived on a small 10 acre plot up in the mountains, my family owns a good bit of farmland out here, we all grew up riding horses and living a pretty rural lifestyle, a lot of people think California is just hollywood and san francisco, and I really don’t understand why..

How stupid is Larry King? Gary’s music is NOT “country” either. Taylor is 100% pop, but Nashville says otherwise. Gary has 11 albumsï»¿ & 4 number 1’s. King George has 60 number 1’s. Tell you alot how popular Gary is on country radio. He’s a nobody in Nashville. Alan Jackson is one ofï»¿ the best. Gary’s music is not too much different than what you here on lite fm radio stations. Some will argue Miranda is more country than Carrie. By the sound of the music that’s false. ML is more based on her twang, yes.

Gary is about as country as Snoop Dog is. I have been around as long time & grew up on B7W TV. It was called “western” music. The genre is changing like all have been over the years.

Gary had a hit when? Trolls say real country acts don’t win awards or get number ones? Really? The genre is changing. R&B has changed to hip- hop which is a lighter version of rap. In any city in the US, even if there’s two rockï»¿ stations in town, they are playing classic rick 90% of the time.

Now Nashville is cashing in in todays country style of music. Radio refuses to play “western” old school country cause no one likes. How many rqdio stations play old school country? That died 40+ years ago. Yes Taylor has been 100% pop for the last 3 albums from her catalog. Yet Nashville (radio/award shows) say she’s country.

Her label Scott said RED is a pop album but Nashville is still showering her with awards like crazy! Why?ï»¿ Money. They are cashing in. And her fans don’t listen to her on country radio. That’s why her singles don’t do so well cause her fans also listen to JB, Kanye, JT, Selena etc.

Most of the independent artists I cover on this site would kill to have the type of success Gary has enjoyed (if it didn’t mean compromising their music), including a platinum-selling album and #1 hits. Sure he may be nothing compared to the top tier of country music, but let’s not diminish his success just because you may not like his music. Compared to most people trying to make a career, Gary has been infinitely successful.

Honestly alot of people here making comments with out watching or really reading. He didn’t call anyone out he was asked a question and responded he didn’t feel as though they were county, mostly blamed the labels. I agree that Carrie and Taylor are not country. I will take Carrie over Taylor anyday but could care less to listen to either. Is Gary 100% country no – but far more that what’s going on now days, I can’t even listen to the “country” station anymore, like he said you have to listen to it for a minute before you know it’s the country station. I honestly think Gary is great but he even admits himself that he’s not 100% country he has a lot of rock influence and I think you have to give him credit for saying that – more artists today just say they are “straight country” – Florida Georgia line makes me want to puke every time I hear it, that’s country now?! Please… You can’t group Gary Allan remotely in that category. He has talent and for those of you who say he only has 4 #1’s – when’s the last time you released a #1? That’s no small feat. He hasn’t given into the main stream junk that’s out there now, so regardless of whether you like his stuff, he’s right about what’s going on.

I’m not really understanding all of this Gary Allan bashing. I think he’s the best modern country singer other than Strait and Jackson. He’s got a killer voice with a lot of the classic country ache and heartbreak in it, and the majority of his songs are pretty honest. “Smoke Rings in the Dark” is one of the best songs by a popular country artist in the last 30 years I think. If you don’t think he’s country enough, listen to that.

Carrie and Taylor both may not be country but at least Ms. Swift has artistic credibility and is mostly creating everything herself. Has done so since she was a teenager. “RED” album actually only has 3/16 of pure pop songs….rest of it being alt and country. Very mixed bag.

I agree on that Taylor Swift has at least 3 pop songs but originally those 3 were supposed to be country but no because that stupid Max Martin had to screw it up because Scott Borchetta said “All these 3 songs need something peppy” then he tried several times and finally said “Ok know what lets get Max Martin in here to help” and Taylor agrees to it. Pretty much the person to take the blame on really 100% Max & Scott fault because Taylor actually sometimes does not know what’s coming sometimes and don’t get me wrong I really like Taylor Swift though and the source I got this from was from an interview but the problem is I forgot what sight I saw it on.

I don’t see what anyone could even argue with in what he said, including admitting that he goes a bit off genre at times. Fine. So be it. I don’t think he was critical of their music, just making an observation that they aren’t really country anymore. A chimp could tell you that. His real observation is that there really isn’t a country genre anymore. I think that is Trigger’s biggest beef. That “country” has been hijacked by some asshole with a hat and ripped up jeans, rock chords and an autovox. It has, so you just go find some good music on your own and move on.

Go listen to Every Storm Runs Out of Rain and come back and tell me that isn’t pop, albeit a terrific song regardless.

Carrie Underwood, in addition to being incredibly good looking (so I am forgiving), is a terrific pop performer. I admit to 2 Black Cadillacs and Blown Away as guilty pleasure.

Too many labels being thrown around and too many “purists” around here.

P.S. While I hate the vast majority of his pandering BS, Luke Bryan even has a couple of listenable songs. And if I want to stay in my wife’s good graces, if you know what I mean, I will tolerate a bit of that even if I don’t seek it out.

Both Carrie and Taylor are pop stars, But Carrie at least tries to act like a country singer while Taylor doesn’t.

I can’t remember which award show it was but both of them had a performance at some award show. While Carrie said that she feels responsibility to represent the genre (But she sang Blown Away lol) Taylor sang a dubstep number and won the country category award.

I don’t like Taylor very much yet it is really annoying when Underwood’s fans keep claiming that Carrie is a true country artist while Taylor isn’t

I don’t agree about Carrie Underwood not being country. Her song have a mild pop vibe to them, but for the most part are still country music. She’s just not as ‘traditional country’ as some artists, but still draws country fans more than pop fans.
As for Taylor Swift, I absolutely agree. She may have started off country, but then she moved to the country/pop crossover line, and instead of walking that fine line (maybe bouncing from one side to the other), she just kept on going. Taylor has crossed over so far into pop music, that there is no way she should even be mentioned in country music circles. She just maintains the country ‘roots’ to benefit herself when it’s need and for further exposure. It actually disappoints me that she received 6 nominations for the CMAAs. Basically, she has stolen nomination spots from others who are more deserving and much more country.

“Cowboy Casanova,” “Undo It,” “Good Girl,” “Blown Away,” etc. are “mild pop” to you? I’m pretty positive I laughed out loud the first time I heard each of those songs on the radio, wondering just what kind of time/place I’m living in where that can be “country.”

Just finish listening to Cowboy Casanova. Actually, half of it was all I could stand. My final verdict, definitely not country. Whoever say this woman is country in any sense of the word, don’t know country.

To be perfectly honest, I do not consider Carrie’s music to be country. But I do consider Carrie herself to be country. I don’t think she’s done even one song that I would call country if I heard it not knowing who was singing it. But I think her heart is in the right place. She actually doesn’t have a country voice, like say Tammy, Loretta or Janie Fricke. But she’s a good singer and seems to be a great person.

As a fan of Taylor, I wish she would leave country ASAP. The country music industry is a very manipulated industry. She still makes a few country songs, but she’s been heading the rock and alternative direction for a long time. Time to leave country. She has the artistic credibility to do it.

Agreed. I want to see Taylor Swift songs that are country on pop radio. Not just crossovers, but her country songs in general. Imagine pop radio offered labels special deals to play Taylor Swift’s country songs that aren’t crossovers. A country song by Taylor Swift that isn’t crossover played on pop music stations would be awesome. Country songs by Taylor Swift without a crossover appeal for pop music stations like MTV please. 🙂

Carrie fans are really annoying, Taylor is more successful than Carrie and she’s not more country than Taylor, move on.
Gary is a good musician entitled to his own opinion, Johnny Cash is remembered as a country icon, but his songs spanned other genres like rock and roll, blues, folk, and gospel, music is music. Country, Pop, Rock, Folk, etc. are the same thing, MUSIC

One thing that is true about Carrie Underwood is that she covers a lot of rock songs on what is supposed to be country music shows, look at the most recent one for example when she sang Paradise City, a GNR hit.

One great point that Gary Allan made was when he said you can’t tell the difference between a rock/pop station and country music station anymore, He is dead on about that cause it is the honest truth.

In my opinion, Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood should leave country music ASAP. Taylor Swift can now do pop songs like We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together and Carrie Underwood makes country songs by 19 Recordings, the creators of Kelly Clarkson songs like Since U Been Gone, and distributed by Artista Nashville. I would say that country songs by Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood are different than other country songs like Miranda Lambert songs since country songs by either Taylor Swift or Carrie Underwood can appeal people who never listen to country music too. Heck, I don’t even know anything about country but I do think that Taylor Swift/Carrie Underwood songs that are country were amazing. I’m not a country music listener either but country music is amazing in my opinion. So I would say that country music by Taylor Swift or Carrie Underwood works really well on pop music stations since Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood are both country-pop crossover artists. So I would say that Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood should retire country music careers and move their country stations only country songs to pop station ASAP. I would love to see a Taylor Swift music video marathon with all Taylor Swift music videos on MTV during Taylor Swift’s 24th birthday. Carrie Underwood should make christian rock music instead of pop music for the fifth album since Carrie Underwood doesn’t like pop music at all. So Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood should make their fifth albums without any country music. Taylor Swift should make a pop rock album that is inspired by emotions and inspire how things change like how music changed over the year and Carrie Underwood should make a christian rock album that inspire how she wants her music to inspire the world and change lives. So in order to do that, Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood should retire their country music careers and play their country music outside of country stations so that way they will make their fifth albums with no country songs. I hope this helps everyone. 🙂

While Alan makes some valid points about the industry his choice to throw his fellow artists under the bus is disappointing. Carrie and Taylor have never been anything but gracious to their fellow artists, it’s unfortunate that Mr. Allan chose not to give them the same courtesy. The more pop leaning styles of the women of country is not nearly the problem that the brainless lyrical content coming from most of the top men. I’ll take an artist like Underwood who has tackled the subjects of domestic abuse, a murder fantasy, loss and the afterlife in the last year even if her musical style tends more toward pop over the good ole boy jack up my truck, bring me a beer, pick up this chick in this bar subject matter any day of the year.

Well this is getting interesting. Larry really put Gary on the spot with the Carrie and Taylor question and it’s a shame if he didn’t ask about the men and groups too. I wonder if he’s heard all of Carrie and Taylor’s songs. Carrie fans have a right to be upset. Hunter Hayes and Lady A might be more pop than Carrie. That’s My Kind of Nightmare and 1994 are more pop and rap than any Carrie song and I doubt she’ll ever rap. Taylor’s latest album is much more pop than Carrie’s and even bubblegum. Carrie can sing country and Taylor can only sing pop and pop country. Carrie is an Opry member and Taylor should never be one.

“I also feel like we lost our genre” is right. I think labels and radio are to blame for the pop direction and they talked or forced artists into going more pop or told them they won’t get airplay if they don’t. Since big radio owns many pop, country and rap stations they don’t have the genres separate and competing like they should. It’s like if automakers merged and only made SUVs from now on. Sadly country radio programmers always get excited about crossover and pop acts going country. I wonder if radio asked labels to make the music more pop for them. A radio guy on here said he doesn’t like radio being blamed for this but instead of refusing to play pop and rap songs, radio offered labels special deals to play them every hour even when listeners hate them. So who is to blame?

Exactly. I would like to have pop music stations like MTV offered labels special deals to play all Taylor Swift country songs like Tim McGraw and Red every hour even when listeners hate them. Ditto Carrie Underwood country songs like Mama, Tim McGraw’s Highway Don’t Care and even Kelly Clarkson’s Tie It Up. Heck, I would like Sheryl Crow country songs played on pop music stations like MTV as special events. That would be something that pop music stations should try out sometime. Tim McGraw’s Highway Don’t Care and Kelly Clarkson’s Tie It Up for pop music stations please. Plus, I would like Taylor Swift to retire her country music department and play her crossover-less country songs like Begin Again on pop music stations like Radio Disney just for fun. That would be awesome since I’m not really familiar with country music that often. Well that’s not all, I would like VH1 or Fuse to air country music videos every Sunday from 11am-1pm. That would be perfect for VH1 or Fuse. Remember, country music is mainstream music too. Country music videos for VH1 and Fuse please. 🙂

I realize that Gary Allen wasn’t specifically picking on Carrie Underwood, but I’m going to stand up for her anyways. I haven’t always liked her and I still don’t like a lot of her songs. She is country though, and has some more country sounding stuff as well as her pop hits. She’s paid tribute to Randy Travis and Bob Wills, among other artists. I didn’t really like her rendition of San Antonio Rose but respected her for trying. She nailed “I told you so”.

Many of my favorite country artists have released at least a couple of downright “pop” songs to get some airplay, so I’ve learned to not hold that against them.

…and how is Gary Allan relevant enough to go making these sorts of comments? Gary ought to be careful. Taylor and Carrie both have huge followings, a few of their fans could be among the few that buy his records. From a business sense, it’s best not to piss off either fan base.

If Gary’s next album isn’t full of traditional country influences, we have no choice but to label him a hypocrite.

Bob, shut up! Allan can call out these non-country wanabees for the simple reason that he is a Country artist, and fans of these skin puppets are not country music fans. It is really dissapointing that people like you are on here sticking up for the morons thats have helped to destroy real country music.

You seem a little upset. If these comments were to come from someone like Vince Gill or Randy Travis (both of whom Carrie has collaborated with, both of whom have publicly acknowledged her talent and impact on the genre) they might contain a little more legitimacy. Garth didn’t seem to have any qualms about inducting Carrie in to the Opry, either. I also recall Paisley proclaim she’s the greatest gift the genre has ever received. No offense, but anyone with any resemblance of neurological activity would value these opinions over someone who uses the term “skin puppets.”

I think the majority of people within the country music industry recognize the importance of progression. A generation of new fans has given life to a genre that had grown stale, old and tired. You might not the concept of change, but clearly you’re part of the minority. And business doesn’t exist to appease the minority.

There are alot of people upset with the state of music today and for good reasons, To put it simply if you write ford on a chevy its still a chevy, and the same goes for music if you dress a pop artist up in a cowboy hat they are still a pop artist, but the problem is that people are so ignorant to this that it has become the norm, and real country is hidden underneath all of the polished fiddle-pop. It its not just the the artist isn’t country the music isn’t country, lets take the bands that these singers take on the road with them, they couldn’t play a country lick to save their lives, they hire half-assed musicians that play heavily distorted with a fucking les paul down to their knees dressed in ripped up punk attire. That ain’t country, The business end of this is even worse, 10 million songs about a fucking jacked up pickup truck and cold beer being sung by little pricks that grew up in the suburbs and drove a honda civic. Everybody has the right to their own opinion and thats fine but do it elsewhere and call it what it is, this new shit aint country not by a long shot. Sorry pal but the Minority is right on this one, there is something to be said about progression but this entire new generation is a big step backwards, besides Aldean, Church and all of the new pretend artists that are a huge part of whats wrong with the music what the fuck is Darius Rucker, Lenny Kravitz, Kid Rock, and all of the washed up pussy rockers doing claiming to be country, I’m sure if Michael Jackson and Curt Cobain were still alive they would both have an album in the country charts too!!

Now you appear even more upset. How does it feel to be permanently stuck in the 1960’s? I agree with you about the abundance of truck and beer songs (two themes both Carrie have Taylor have stayed away from, coincidentally…) though. “Truck Yeah” was an abomination and that came from a guy with a rich history in country music.

The business end is why the industry exists. It’s why you have anything to listen to. The current trend in country music might not conform to your purists ideals, but it’s what the industry and consumers want that ultimately defines what constitutes country music. It might be a step back in your eyes but don’t fret, natural progression dictates the genre will evolve once again. In the meantime, if you really want the genre to revert to the glory days, I suggest you go buy those traditional country albums by the truckload. Otherwise, I’m afraid to say, you’re shit out of luck.

And Cobain was a musical genius. He would release a fantastic country album.

Oh. So that’s what you really meant, I guess. Not that you didn’t know who he was, but that he’s not “relevant enough” by your measure for his opinion to mean anything.

Now, I don’t know that much about Gary Allan, but through a quick internet check, I see that he has three platinum albums and three gold albums. Also, looks like he put out a single in September 2012 that has been certified platinum. And there’s this.

It is a lot to ask the music industry to put the cunt back in country and the dick back in Dixie when this pop country sh*? is making them so rich. The best we can hope for is that the major artist take a stand and refuse to sing the watered down crap. This guy Gary Allan is some major deal, you said. Heck, I haven’t listen to country music station in over twenty years, never even heard of the guy or half these people you are talking about. I am so glad I found this site, so I can find real country artist. Anyway, I digress. Someone mentioned that this guy sang pop country for the most part of his career, and now is coming off as a hypocrite. Not necessarily. People tend to assess themselves as they get older, perhaps this is all this guy is doing. Or perhaps this site is reaching more of these popular singer’s hearts. Whatever the reason, Trigger is right, regardless how we feel about these people, they have the popularity to actually fight our cause. This guy is joining our side, are trying to. Are we saying he does not meet our qualification to speak on our behalf? What are we saying? Someone say if we only talk among ourselves then we are speaking to the quire. Well put. We need the Alan Jackson, and people like that to join their voices to us. The big music industry is not going to listen to us, but they just might listen to the big money makers. Since basically, that’s all they are in it for is money.

Bob Dylan, “Times are a changing” $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$, the root of all evil. Todays artist (most of them) want the status, want to be the celebrity first and foremost, want the money, to which they will sell their soul. What you hear (Taylor Swift, Carrie Underwood, etc, is NOT country but Pop. or cross over. You want to hear this crap then they should play it on stations other than Country Stations. These artist???? of today can’t relay a message thru lryics without having a vidieo.
The young people of today have no idea of living with struggles and pain. Real Country Music is gone.

I totally agree with Gary. Country Music has changed and has crossed over into other genres. As for Gary, he sings with such emotion and conviction and his music is believable. It cuts through to your soul. He is an artist that has been underrepresented in the industry. He is in the TOP of the male artists and should be treated as such. Other artists could learn musical style from him.

Wow now I’m no longer a Gary Allan fan, I’m sorry Gary Allan but you just pushed my buttons to hard. Calling out Taylor & Carrie like that but I’m sorry in my defense of Carrie Underwood & Taylor Swift are 100% modern country

Taylor Swift’s Side

She creates and experiments her songs
She chooses how the song should sound
She’s a modern day version of Shania Twain/LeAnn Rimes
Her carrier is successful
Not only did her 4 Albums hit the charts she either got nominated or won an award for those CDs
She has starred in movies & TV Shows

Carrie Underwood’s Side

Carrie Underwood at least hits the top of the charts constantly
She was the first and only Country Singer to win American Idol on FOX
She is the only Country Singer that eats veggies (She’s a Vegitarion)
She is like Taylor having nominations or wins
She was nice to a 11 or 12 year old boy by giving him his first kiss (Taylor would probably do the same thing)
Most of the time she puts on a good show (Taylor also does)

So in other words:
Gary Allan you’re making a fool of yourself quit acting like a donkey and get a grip you fall under modern country you r-tard

I have just recently found this page and was really enjoying the intelligent, informed and respectful conversation. Then Bob kicked down our living room door in his grubby jeans and raggedy KISS t shirt, wiped his drool off on his sleeve, belched and started shooting off his foul mouth. His comments were not unlike those of relatively young loud, drunk, good ole’ boys sitting in line overnight for the Redneck Run. No one can seem to make him sit down, shut up and fall asleep sparing us his eighth grade, unintelligible,YE-haw F-word yell. Then his annoying barnyard fly buddies get all brave-like, “hell ya’s” falling out of their brains and the real conversation that has been carried by informed, civilized guests is ruined from there on. Billy Bob and posse, go take a nap somewhere other than here.